What Counts Is Effort
by galaxies in her eyes
Summary: Lucius and Narcissa go to a relationship counselor. For Tigger: thank you so much for your lovely message of strength and just for being amazing.


**Hogwarts (Challenges and Assignments).**

 _Assignment 7 — Arts and Crafts: Needlework — task 3 — write about a couple trying to piece a relationship back together_

 **The Golden Snitch; Canopus, Aurora Academy.**

 _White Day — written for whitetiger91 — extra prompt used: (word) pearl_

* * *

Once upon a time, before the war happened, Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy had been perfectly happy. They had gone on dates during the courting, had walked through the expansive Malfoy gardens, had gone on several wonderful dinners at the best and most expensive Wizarding restaurants in the world. Lucius had brought her flowers and watched, pride shining in his eyes, as Narcissa accepted the courting gift of a simple yet breathtaking diamond and pearl necklace.

Ever since he was a boy, Lucius had been taught Purebloods were better than everyone else. His father, Abraxas Malfoy, served Tom Riddle — better known as Lord Voldemort — and told his son that, once he was old enough, he too would serve.

And Lucius looked forward to it. His mother had died when he was but a boy, and Abraxas said that a Muggle illness had befallen her whilst she was visiting a friend. Lucius despised Muggles for this reason alone.

Then he began Hogwarts and met Narcissa Black. She was the same year as him, but she was wiser and more tolerant and Lucius wanted so much to be like her. She seemed so unrufflable and poised, and he admired those qualities. (It didn't hurt that she was gorgeous, either.)

And what was more — she didn't hate Muggles. In fact, she had a Muggleborn best friend. That was the only thing that Lucius disliked about her.

In their fifth year, he finally asked her out. She had recently broken up with her latest boy toy, and he decided to at least try. She turned him down cold, saying that she would not date someone as stuck up and disapproving of Muggles as him.

He tried again and again to no avail.

Finally, in his sixth year, he promised her to tolerate Muggleborns. She gave him a chance — and a kiss on the cheek. He went to bed that night and smiled at the ceiling.

Yes, he decided. He would tolerate Muggleborns for Narcissa Black.

* * *

But those days were long past.

His own son was a failure — by Lucius' own hand, he himself admitted — but a failure nonetheless. Draco had been spoiled by both parents as Narcissa had obtained some complications during her pregnancy which prevented her from carrying more children. Lucius didn't mind, as he had his heir to the Malfoy fortune and estate.

He had told Draco that, come his birthday, he would take the Dark Mark. It was punishment for Lucius' botched attempt at retrieving the prophecy from the Department of Mysteries.

It ruined Draco's life and turned his own beloved wife against him. She couldn't believe that he had agreed to the madness he had.

That was when everything began falling apart. Narcissa refuses to sleep in the same bed as Lucius, refused to talk directly to him, refused to serve the tea when the Dark Lord and the other Death Eaters came.

In other words, she made him miserable.

He loved his wife, despite the fact that their marriage had been an arranged one, and hated having her mad at him.

* * *

"Lucius," announced Narcissa. The war was over and the light side won. Lucius had been put on house arrest for four years — and that was only through the testifying of the famed 'Golden Trio.'

He turned to his wife of nearly two decades. "Yes?" he replied. He couldn't remember doing anything wrong. Oh, who was he kidding? His every move during the war — in an attempt to keep his family alive — was wrong.

"Let's go," she commanded. She grabbed her purse from the small table just within the door and turned back to him expectantly.

"Go...where?" Lucius asked.

She stared at him. "To the counselor, of course. Remember? We have an appointment with Doctor Granger at noon. Which is in," she checked her wrist watch, "fifteen minutes. Now let's go. I've heard that she doesn't like to be kept waiting."

* * *

"Good day, Lord and Lady Malfoy." Hermione Granger stood up and held out her hand. Lucius pursed his lips and shook it whilst thinking that his father would be rolling in his grave if he saw his perfect Pureblood son shaking hands with a woman instead of kissing it.

"Dear, please call us Narcissa and Lucius."

Hermione smiled politely. "Of course, Narcissa. What can I help you with today?"

"Well," began Narcissa, "Lucius and I have been having a few...relationship problems of late. We were hoping you would be able to help us move past these issues."

"Ah." Hermione touched her fingertips together and looked over them at the blonde couple. Lucius realized with a jolt that she looked like Dumbledore. "I see." She dug through her drawers and came up with a paper. "What kind of relationship problems? Do you both still trust one another implicitly, or is that trust a bit strained?"

Narcissa glanced at Lucius. "I find it to be — yes, a bit strained."

The brunette nodded thoughtfully. "Perhaps we should have a few exercises to work on that."

* * *

Over the next seven months, Lucius and Narcissa took part in several of Hermione's "exercises." These included blindfolding one another and trusting the one able to see to lead them around, several quizzes about their deepest fears, telling one another their darkest secrets that no one else knew, mutual interests that they'd once had and which they both still had, dreams, 'soul gazing,' and physical contact. They had both been deprived of contact from one another for so long that it took many days before they were comfortable with casual touches to the arm or a quick kiss on the cheek.

But they were trying, and that was what counted.

* * *

 _word count: 957_


End file.
